Strollerderby
When to Ignore the Pediatrician
Is it ever a good idea to ignore the pediatrician’s advice? After all, they’re the experts, right?
Wrong!
A handful of doctors were interviewed, and here’s what they say about some of their own advice: ignore it, sometimes. Here are five instances when it might be a good idea to nod politely and then carry on as usual:
1. Don’t pick up your baby in the middle of the night. Can’t stand the crying? Then don’t — if you can stand that.
2. Baby should be at home with Mom. Not only is this so far from reality, it’s also never been shown to be harmful. It’s a personal choice, not a medical one.
3. Don’t give your baby triple nipple confusion. Breast, bottle and pacifier aren’t necessarily bad in combination. If you think it’s a problem, take away one or more of the nipple types. But there’s little evidence to show that nipple confusion is guaranteed.
4. Your baby must eat solids by 6 months. If they’re not interested, why push it?
5. Take the paci away! Doctors have their own opinions about age and pacifiers. It’s good to remember, these are opinions. Unless the pacifier is interfering with speech and tooth development, there’s no need if the kid (and you) aren’t ready.
That’s what the article says. What about you? What advice did you ignore? Here, I’ll start. I ignored the doctor’s advice and didn’t give my breastfed daughter’s iron supplements. And guess what? They’re not anemic!
Photo: Guardian.uk
Go Back To Strollerderby
8 Comments
Dwtintx commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amI totally smiled and nodded and completely ignored our pediatrician last month when she told me that my 18 month old needed to get rid of her pacifier asap. She generally uses it when she’s stressed, and to get to sleep, and I don’t think she’s old enough to understand why she should give it up. It gives her comfort and makes me less crazy, and she talks a blue streak. So I’m just relaxing about it- she will give it up when we are all ready.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amMy daughter and I had trouble getting breastfeeding established, and rather than offer me any real help or advice my pediatrician pushed me to bottle feed and told me that sometimes “God” sends us “signs” that “it wasn’t meant to be.” I know this was a stab at some kind of bedside manner, but I was very offended. If nothing else, I was going to make breastfeeding work if only to prove her wrong. Now my daughter is 17-months-old, still breastfeeding and we are very happy with the supportive pediatricians we chose after we canned that bitch.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amThis is a good list. At our last checkup my pedi about had a heart attack when I mentioned I would occasionally nurse my son (19 mos) back to sleep when he woke up crying. It was all I could to keep from laughing as he lectured me that I needed to “be brief, and businesslike, and use my phrases” to get my son to go back to sleep without me. Some pedis need to differentiate between *medical* advice and *parenting* advice.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amI ignored the vitamin/iron push. Ignored the recommendation that she needed to drink cow’s milk. Ignored request to vaccinate newborn against Hep B. What babies eat, in terms of solid food, is radically different from culture to culture, and so all the “rules” we hear as parents living in America, aren’t necessarily rules at all, just reflections of what we accept as “good” food.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amMy kid didn’t eat solids until he could shove them in his own mouth. (7.5 months) Baby food is a racket. Plenty of parents who have kids with severe food allergies wait for solids longer than 6 months. I think they just mean not to force it before 6 months, because it’s not necessary.
And I didn’t give J vitamins either. Another smile and nod at the peds. He’s never been anemic, and more than half of my friend’s kids are, and they TAKE vitamins.
mcglory13 commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amI’m just wondering if you have any research to back that up Lisa. Just stating things doesn’t make them a fact.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amRegarding no solids after 6 months: not a good idea to ignore. Their bodies need more than milk, even breast milk. Sure you don’t need to start with a big steak, but fruit and veggies need to enter the picture.
I use a GP not a pediatrician. She is much more open minded and relaxed, and is also very smart. She did say no meat before 8-9 months, and I agreed.
Ultimately, until they are a year, milk is the most important food, BUT, start getting those fruits and veggies in the picture, even if it is just in very small amounts.
Lisa
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amThe link didn’t work for me.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.